


Weathered Souls

by VisionaryGalaxy



Series: The Sun, The Moon, and The Stars [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Dinner, Domestic Fluff, Don't copy to another site, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, OT3, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 07:18:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18115961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VisionaryGalaxy/pseuds/VisionaryGalaxy
Summary: Carol and her boys take a minute from their busy lives.





	Weathered Souls

**Author's Note:**

> Getting this out of the way so I can really get into their soulmate story!!!

   Sweat slid down Carol’s temple in a distracting glide, her feet were sore from hours of standing, and her knuckles had gone all but numb from the continuous impact she subjected them too. Her breathing, while measured was laboured, even as she pushed herself to throw another punch, then another, lifting her knee to jab at the punching bag swaying before her, feeling a primal satisfaction at the muted thump on the thick leather.

   Her mind was calm in a way few things made it, that invisible pressure always trying to remember, distant and unimportant in the face of the simple, physical task she was conducting right now. She understood why she had made an ok skrull, a good soldier, but a better independent rogue. She liked the discipline, but only on her terms.

   “Ms. Danvers?”

   Friday’s voice broke into her little bubble, forcing her to pause, step back and relax the tense ready stance she had been in. Rolling her shoulders and picking up a rag from the mat to wipe at her sweat she tired to focus.

   “What is it Friday?”

   “You asked me to inform you when it was six-thirty. I have also ordered the take-out you specified.”

   “Thank you, Friday,” Carol twisted her neck from side to side, stretched her arms. “Where are the boys?”

   “Mr. Stark is in his lab still and Dr. Strange has retired to the study and is currently practicing a spell and wishes not to be disturb.”

   She just smirked at that, padding across the mats and sliding on a thin sweater to avoid the chill she would get any minute now. Making her way to the kitchen, Carol got herself a glass of water, eyes straying to the view provided by the floor to ceiling glass windows, showing the whole of New York, lit up like it was on display, as darkness continued to fall.

   They had a tendency to move between the Tower and the Sanctuary fluidly, depending on Stephen’s availability and while she liked the modern spaciousness of Tony’s innovation, she had to admit that there was something about the cozy clutter in the Sanctuary that felt inexplicably like home.

   Silently, she left her glass in the sink and went about getting three dinner sets out and three wine glasses. With the ease of routine, she pulled out each of their favourite wines and set them on the counter, for when the food arrived. With that done she turned on some quiet music, which would only last for all of thirty minutes before they inevitably ended up on the couch with the TV on.

   They had begun working out this system eight months ago, and while Carol had been skeptical at first, it was proving quite useful. They were busy, very busy, to the point it was a miracle they saw one another at all before bed, and sometimes that was the case but less and less now. Essentially, it came down to each of them being assigned two weeks a night to order or make dinner (which pretty much meant Tony) and to drag the others away from their various projects to spend an evening together. The seventh day was so they could indulge in their work or time apart.

   It had been working out fairly well. So far, the only interruptions came from Avenger business, which meant Tony running off and occasionally herself, while other times it was Sorcerer business leaving her and Tony eating together in tense silence, equal parts worried and curious. Luckily those instances had been few and far between.

   Carol glanced at the clock and frowned.

   With a sigh she made her way toward the winding staircase, the sound of Tony’s machines and his music blaring the closer she got. She found him circling a massive hologram of a fighter jet, touching and moving things at random, seemingly talking to himself.

   She decided to give herself a moment. Leaning against the open glass doorway, she couldn’t help but smile at the expression on his face, like he was staring at a difficult puzzle, yet with this spark that said he was enjoying the hell out of it.

   She tapped on the glass next to her, “hey tinman, you’re late.”

   Tony didn’t even look up, “thirty minutes,” he muttered, circling it again.

   Rolling her eyes, Carol stepped in, glancing at the hologram and grinning as she recognized the intention to use nanobites and arc reactor power. The man had been fascinated by planes recently, well…spaceships and she had already decided to take full credit.

   “Come on,” she snagged his arm as he walked by. “We both know this will take longer then that and its Thursday, so you have to do as I say.”

   He blinked at her for a minute, as if coming out of a trance and she just raised an eyebrow.

   “I’m pretty sure that isn’t what we agreed to,” he said finally.

   “Hmm, you’re right, but its what you said last week when I refused to come up.”

   Tony sighed, obviously contemplating whether or not he could get away with not going up, before swinging his hand and making the hologram disappear, “fine.”

   She pulled him in closer and rested her arms on his shoulders, while his hands landed on her hips, “what’s on the roster for tonight?” he asked.

   She shrugged, “pizza and Chinese food because I couldn’t decide. Then I thought we could watch this movie called Real Steel.”

   He stared at her blankly and she tried an innocent smile only for him to narrow his eyes, “this is payback for making you watch Top Gun isn’t it?”

   She just smiled and gave him a quick kiss, “don’t know, guess we’ll find out.”

   Tony groaned, “you’re lucky I love you.”

   “So, I’m told,” she stepped away from him, grabbing only his hand and leading him upstairs, expecting to find Stephen, always mindful of the time they set, only to find the kitchen area still empty.

   They both paused.

   “That isn’t like him,” Tony murmured.

   Despite herself, concern twisted her gut. It couldn’t be helped, the two of them worried about him more then they should, often driving their lover a little mental with it. But as they told him dozens of times before, it was a little hard to control it when you’ve had to watch him die in Tony’s case, and fight the universe itself to get him back.

   There was knocking at the door, no doubt security with the food, “you get that, I’ll go collect our wizard.”

   Tony went with a squeeze of her hand, while Carol made her way to the small room Stephen had claimed for his study. It had been a rather amusing fight to watch, with Tony insisting he could just renovate one of the larger rooms into a full-size library and study, while Stephen steadfastly refused, stating the small room he had found was enough. Tony hadn’t really gotten the hang of subtlety yet.

   She stood outside of the room for a moment, listening. Nothing.

   She rapped her sore knuckles on the door quietly, knowing better then to startle him if he was working on a difficult spell. A moment later, it creaked open a crack, revealing Levi.

   “Hey, think I can talk to your master for a minute?”

   It hovered as though assessing her and Carol was never going to get used to talking to the sentient fabric, though at least it seemed to like her more then Tony and she would take any excuse to tease the man.

   Finally, it seemed to bob its collar in acceptance, letting the door swing wide and zooming back to where Stephen sat crossed legged on the floor, hands on his knees, breathing deeply with a green mist around him.

   She approached slowly. Stephen would never hurt her on purpose but startling him could always end with you being shot across the room, the magic acting instinctively to protect him, as Tony learned pretty quickly.

   She crouched in front of him and fought the urge to touch, “Stephen? Love, wake up.”

   She whispered the words, over and over again, working to coax him from the meditative state. He came back to her in stages, the green slowly slinking back into the Stone hanging around his neck, one both her and Tony refused to touch and didn’t particularly like seeing on him, too many bad memories.

   Then, several minutes later, Stephen’s eyes peeled back.

   Their blue/green hues seemed almost grey in this lighting and she smiled when they went from dull to alight with recognition, a lazy smile spreading across his lips as he looked at her.

   He inhaled deeply, before exhaling, his entire posture slumping, “I’m late, aren’t I?”

   “Only a little, food’s here and Tony’s waiting.”

   Stephen shook his head a bit, clearing it before reaching his arm out. Carol wrapped her fingers around his forearm and helped bring him to his feet, the Cloak flaring with a bit of help. He dusted off his tunic, but Carol stopped him, tapping at the fabric, “no more work, causal clothes mister.”

   It was Stephen’s turn to roll his eyes, but the Cloak popped off obligingly and Stephen was clad quite suddenly in sweatpants and a t-shirt. She smiled slowly, “much better,” she said, eyeing the low resting sweats.

   “Carol,” Stephen’s tone was a mix of exasperated and strained, just how she liked him. “Tony’s waiting and he won’t like it if we’ve abandoned him with the food.”

  “Spoil sport,” she muttered.

   Stephen laughed and began pulling her out of the room and toward the kitchen, where Tony was filling the plates just the way they liked them. He looked up as they entered smiling softly, “thought you two got lost over there.”

   “Almost did,” Carol said honestly, only for Stephen to give her arm a disapproving smack.

   Tony just shook his head, as Stephen slid onto the stool with the only full glass in front of it. It had taken some getting used to, but their wizard was finally learning to let them take care of him with simple tasks like pouring wine, that his hands made difficult.

\---

   Dinner was fairly straightforward, with Tony getting excited about his project while her and Stephen nodded whenever it was appropriate, though at least Carol could keep up at bit. Stephen was vague and mysterious about his magical activities as ever, though she knew neither her nor Tony had missed the scar and bruising on his upper arm, vindictive of dimension hopping.

   Dishes were left for one of Tony’s dozens of robots to clean up, the food packed away in the fridge, likely to be forgotten and finally, they were onto Carol’s favourite part of the evening.

   She settled on the couch, stretching her body along the cushions, head resting on Stephen’s lap where he gently stroked her hair with trembling fingers, the best kind of lullaby, while Tony set up their movie.

   He came and sat down in front of their couch, back resting against it, already taking out his Stark Pad, not that they minded. The man was great at multi-tasking and she already knew he was more then capable of working and making sarcastic comments about the unrealistic mechanical aspects of the movie. Carol let one arm hang over Tony’s shoulder, and he kissed the hand for a moment before silently gripping it as the beginning logos began to play.

   She shifted a little under the warm blanket and smiled when Stephen automatically adjusted it to cover her chilled shoulders and humming at Tony who glanced up at Stephen with a familiar fond smile, showing him something silently on the pad.

   Carol didn’t know how long it had been, but they weren’t even half way when she felt the hand on her head slow to a stop, resting there with involuntary shaking. She was careful not to move a muscle as she whispered.

   “He’s asleep.”

   Tony glanced up, squinting above her and nodding, “passed out completely.”

   Carol squeezed Tony’s hand again, “good, he’s been burning himself out lately.”

   They weren’t the words she wanted to say, but Tony understood immediately. They were worried about him, knew there were things he couldn’t, wouldn’t talk about but they hated seeing him overwork himself fighting forces they could do nothing about. For three of the most powerful people in the universe, it should come as no surprise that they were notoriously bad at helplessness, especially when it came to each other.

   “It will be ok, he’ll be ok,” Tony murmured. “If something happens it won’t be the first time, we break the world to get him back.”

   Those words shouldn’t be as comforting as they were. But he was right, the three of them could do anything they wanted and although they all had their moral codes, they had learned quickly just how easily they were willing to bend for each other.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to hear people's thoughts and opinions. Especially constructive criticism on this, but I know its hard since not everyone's seen the movie, though I'm trying to get Carol right.  
> Hope everyone enjoyed ;)


End file.
